8 Pros and Cons of Experimental Research

Nov 20, 2015

Experimental research means rolling up your sleeves and experiencing the subject personally. It is a unique method of research that involves practical applications and experimentation rather than information absorption through lectures or reading. Many schools implement this form of research as a learning tool because it helps students to grasp difficult concepts more quickly through hands-on participation and direct observation.

There are certainly other pros and cons of experimental research that must also be considered, so let’s take a look at a few of the key points on this subject.

Here Are the Pros of Experimental Research

1. It helps people be able to remember core concepts better and recall them more frequently.
When people do not have a hands-on method of research, then they have a more difficult time recalling the information that they’ve learned. When compared to those who use a hands-on approach almost every day, those who don’t use experimental research score 16 points lower on average when the research process is used for learning.

2. It creates more interest in the subject material.
If all you’re being asked to do is read a book about riding horses, then you will get a lot of data on the subject that will help you describe the processes and mechanisms that are required. If you are able to practice riding a horse as part of the educational process, then you also gain a personal insight to the work involved and have stories to tell about your experiences. This helps the information pass from one person to another with much more fluidity.

3. It encourages more learning in other research areas.
People who learn through experimental research tend to use this approach in every other subject as well. Success helps to bring about more success. As new concepts in multiple fields are learned, excitement about the learning process grows and encourages even more learning. Eventually the knowledge gained turns to wisdom because of the practical applications used.

4. The learning process can also be therapeutic.
Experimental research also helps people be able to process difficult emotions or high levels of stress more easily than if there wasn’t any research happening. The hands-on approach is therapeutic because it forces the mind to engage with actions instead of engaging only with analyzation.

Here Are the Cons of Experimental Research

1. The information that is learned is only as good as the research materials or teaching that is offered.
If someone isn’t very skilled within a certain subject, then the information gleaned from this teaching is research that is basically useless. In some circumstances it could even be harmful. Imagine if someone was using the hands-on approach to learn how to ride horses and the instructor told them to always stand behind the horse. There’s a good chance the researcher is going to be injured.

2. This form of research tends to place more emphasis on the actions than the information.
Being hands-on and learning how certain subjects work is important, but it must be carefully balanced with the information that supports those actions. It does no one any good to know how to perform a certain task if there is no understanding of the meaning behind the importance of that task.

3. It makes people uncomfortable.
Experimental research takes people outside of their comfort zone. That’s part of the fun of this type of research, but it also means that some people are so uncomfortable with the process that they don’t learn anything from the experience. Take animal dissection that occurs in school. This type of research is intended to help students identify biological components, but the discomfort of dissection dominates this process and creates negative information retention.

4. Incorrect information can get passed along just as easily as correct information.
If someone has an enjoyable experience from their experimental research, then they’re going to share this positive emotion with others. This gets more people pumped up to get involved. That’s great if the actions and information shared are accurate. If they are inaccurate, then incorrect is passed off as fact and this ruins the validity of the research.

The pros and cons of experimental research show that it can be a very beneficial learning process. It can also cause harm, both personally and within the subject material, if it is not handled properly. For this reason, each of these key points should be carefully evaluated before implementing this form of research on any project.

After being physically and mentally disabled by a brain tumor, Brandon overcame the odds to regain his health to help his pregnant wife in her fight against stage 3 breast cancer. A couple of years later he launched his blog. Today over 1 million business owners read his blog every month. Read Brandon's inspirational comeback story here.